Birth Story

May 15th, 2011

We woke up and got ready to go. I felt great (uncomfortable due to my rib pain and aches from trying to sleep but nothing out of the ordinary). We loaded Cooper in the car and headed to my best friends house, they watched Cooper for us. We dropped Coop off... I almost cried when we left I can't really explain why but I got emotional at the thought of leaving him that day. We got to the hospital at around 7:15 and were checked in and waiting for the nurse to call us back by 7:30.

We were called back by 7:45 and they immediately got to business. I was hooked to my I.V. which if you remember my birth story from Cooper's birth the I.V. was absolutely horrible. However this time the nurse quickly put the I.V in and everything went just perfectly. They started the pitocin and the nurse was asking us all sorts of questions. By this time its about 8:45 and I'm feeling some really uncomfortable tightening feelings but no pain.
At about this time the nurse in her random question asking says to me. "How many centimeters were you dilated at your last appointment? Or did he check"? I told her yes, that at my last appointment I was dilated to a 4. She stops in her tracks and says "Oh I need to check you really quick than". She goes on ahead and calls my doctor in, he was already at the hospital because of a few other girls that were delivering. He came in and checked me and I was now at a 5. He asked me if I would be ok with them giving me my epidural before they broke my water. That he was concerned I would progress too quickly and that if I wanted an epidural, Which I made it very clear I did :) That we would need to possibly do it before they broke my water. So I agree'd. I am not one of those women who want to experience the pain. I experienced an hour or so of that lovely pain when I had Cooper and that was enough for me.
They got the anesthesiologist up there and gave me my epidural. Then right after they broke my water. It was about 10:00 when this all took place. I started to feel very light headed, my breathing was getting harder. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I asked the nurse why I was feeling this way. Extremely groggy and short of breath. The nurse immediately said that my blood pressure plummeted and was extremely low due to the medicine in the epidural. She said it was a side effect. They gave me some meds in my I.V. and it cleared up and got better in about 20 minutes or so. However I ended up being extremely tired after wards no matter what I did. By 11:00-11:30 I was feeling some major pressure but of course no pain. I was blessed to not feel hardly any pain this delivery.
I told my mom that I was feeling lots of pressure and when I had Cooper that was exactly what I felt when I was ready to push. I also mentioned it to my husband but there were so many people in the room that they both heard me but neither really went to get the doctor right away. I was very relaxed about it so in there defense it didn't really seem like I needed immediate help.
I waited about 10 minutes or so and then told them again. One of them wen to get the doctor to come and check me.
They came about 10 minutes later to check me and the nurse immediately said "Yep your ready". I was like "Oh my gosh, I'm ready to push already"?????
It was only a little bit before 12:00 at this point. We had all of our friends and family there and we were getting so excited. They went and paged my doctor.
My nurse asked me if we could try a practice push to see how easily she might come out. So we went ahead and tried one. Halfway through my practice push she asked me to stop. She told me that she wanted my doctor to be presant for the birth :) Very nice of her. Ha.
Basically she acted like the baby was going to just fly out if I kept pushing.

My doctor came in shortly after and we started pushing. Mom and Julian stayed in the room with us. I did 3 rounds of pretty intense pushing and nothing was happening. The nurses and doctor acted as if every time I pushed she was about to come out and then they would almost get discouraged when nothing happened. I was starting to wonder why it was so hard to push her out. The baby was fine and so was I but for whatever reason she just wasn't budging.
Finally my doctor did one more round of pushes (this was after he had to do some cutting). I had to have this with Cooper as well and as unpleasant as it is trust me when I say that it was an absolute must with this baby.
On my last round of pushing we really gave it the all systems go. I was going to get this baby out dangit!
She finally came out and immediatly the doctor and nurses said, "wow, she's a big baby" . I looked down and could see her entire body and wow were they right. She made Cooper look so so small compared to her newborn baby self. That's why she was having a hard time coming out. Now it all made sense. This was why my ribs were killing me.
They placed her on my chest and I got to see her extremely cute and chubby little cheeks! Oh how in love I was immediatley.

She wasn't crying and I noticed a nurse hanging over me as I held her for the first time. The nurse was starting to look panicky and I started to get worried. I could see Blake was breathing she just wasn't crying. The nurse suddenly reaches over me and grabs the baby and says quickly "I have to take her". I stared wide eyed and freaked out and was like "IS SHE OK!!!". My doctor looked at me and relaxed sounding said, "Oh yah she's fine, she just has some fluid in her lungs".
They were over there with my little girl darn near roughing her up to make her cry. My husband and mom said it was a little concerning to see them being that way with her but that its there job to make her cry and clear those lungs. Needless to say she was fine, started crying and everything was great. I was fine and baby was healthy.
8 lbs 5 oz's and 21 inches long. Wow was she a big baby for me. I never in a million years imagined I would have a baby that big.
She was healthy and beautiful though. :)

Our family and friends came in and checked her out. What a beautiful baby girl she is. Her big brother was so sweet and was so good with her. He even kissed her. What a sweet boy he is.

My cousin came and took professional pictures of her and did such an amazing job.

This past week has been wonderful. I can't believe how much easier it was to adjust to the new baby this time. The stresses of being a new parent aren't there like last time. I'm so much more confident and happy and I'm enjoying her more than I did the first time around because I was so worried and scared with Cooper. We have been doing a good job as far as getting situated as a family of 4.
The nights have been sleepless and the days long but truly things are going really good. My husband has been AMAZING. We have really helped each other to take care of both kids this time.

Well that's pretty much the birth story, I know there are so many other little stories I could share from this first week but that would take all day. So I will leave you with lots of pictures from this past week.
Here she is. Our little Blakely!


This is our favorite doctor! Dr. Nilson. He delivered both of my little loves, and took care of us :)